The 32-year-old is hopeful of being included in squad for Rio 2014

England's much-lamented slide down the international education league tables may not be as bad as it seems, according to a report by a leading academic.

Economic View: Monetary policy has started to be counterproductive as it has all sorts of negative effects

Bright A-level candidates are being wooed with financial incentives this autumn as universities struggle to cling on to high-flying students.

A father was jailed for at least 26 years today for killing a man for asking if his crying daughter was all right.

Huddersfield set up an all-Yorkshire showdown with Sheffield United at Wembley on Saturday week as they went through to the League One play-off final 3-2 on aggregate despite losing 2-1 to MK Dons.

What I Learnt This Week

Norwich 4 Newcastle 2

Nearly one in four GCSE entries could be awarded at least an A grade in what is expected to be another record year of results, it was predicted today.

"Traditional" A-level subjects should be valued more highly in the race for university places, a Government minister said, as thousands of students prepared to receive exam results today.

The number of A* grades at A-level is set to rise when the results for more than 250,000 students are announced next Thursday.

More than 200,000 university applicants will fail to get places this year, the head of the admissions service has warned, in a repeat of last summer's chaotic scramble following the publication of A-level results.

More than 12,000 students with at least one A* grade pass at A-level will be turned away from Oxford and Cambridge this year.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew's hopes of securing his key players before embarking on a recruitment drive have suffered a further blow.